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Arctic Wildlife May Not Survive Global Warming
AFP
Nov. 12, 2004 — Rising temperatures in the Arctic will likely increase the region's biodiversity as new species are drawn to the extreme north, but in a dramatic paradox many animals unique to the region — such as polar bears — risk extinction.


Polar bears are seen as facing the biggest threat from the melting of the Arctic ice cap by the end of the century, as their hunting grounds are expected to literally slip away from underneath them, Arctic researchers meeting in Reykjavik this week warned.

Some 20,000 to 30,000 of the hulking white animals roam large expanses of ice to hunt their prey, breaking through the ice with their massive paws to catch seals and fish.



“ If that ice edge moves some hundreds of kilometers away from the cliffs, they simply won't get access to the food. ”


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"The polar bear is the species that has the most frightening future if the sea ice disappears," said Harald Loeng, a researcher at the Bergen Institute of Marine Research in Norway.

When they come out of hibernation, the bears would be surprised to see the ice receding earlier in the season every year. Their dilemma would be to remain on land where they risk dying of starvation, or to swim increasing distances to reach the ice to hunt for food.

The greater distances mean the polar bears would lose a lot of weight, which could affect their reproductive systems, and also implies that females would have to leave their young behind to face a certain death.

The Arctic region is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet, and its ice cap could melt away entirely during the milder summer months by the year 2100, according to the conclusions of an Arctic climate research team.

The process is inevitable unless there is a massive reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases, researchers warn.

The death knell could also be sounded for other species dependent on the ice, such as the ringed seal, bearded seal and little auk.

The little auk, a diving seabird that breeds in the cold Arctic climate and which nests on the shores of Greenland, Iceland, the Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya and northern Scandinavia, hunts for food at the edge of the ice, explained Terry Callaghan of the Sheffield Center for Arctic Ecology.

"If that ice edge moves some hundreds of kilometers away from the cliffs, they simply won't get access to the food," he said.

As global warming increases, forests will increasingly sprout up in the southern parts of the Arctic, pushing the frozen tundra landscape and its native wildlife — including caribou, arctic fox, ptarmigan and insects — further north.

"What we predict is that the biodiversity will increase," said Callaghan, "but the species that are extremely well adapted to an Arctic environment are vulnerable."

For those species that do manage to survive the changes of global warming, their way of life will undergo drastic changes as the arrival of new rival species and parasites will create a new hierarchy in the animal kingdom.

Reindeer or caribou herds will lose their natural grazing grounds and herders will need to find new routes between seasonal pasture areas.

Birds' migration routes and cycles are also likely to be affected by climate change, as they will have to fly greater distances. Their migration could even affect the ecosystem thousands of kilometers away.

A case in point is the arctic tern, a marine bird related to gulls that spends its summers in Scandinavia but winters in more southerly regions.

"The arctic species are in the hundreds of thousands and we probably do not know all of them," said Michael Usher of the environmental studies department at Stirling University in Scotland.

"We're going to see changes. The response of each species will be individualistic," he said.


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Name: Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
Primary Classification: Ursidae (Bears)
Location: Arctic region surrounding the North Pole.
Habitat: Glacier ice and tundra.
Diet: Seals mostly. Also walrus, sea birds, lemmings, birds' eggs, some vegetation, and carrion.
Size: Up to 11 ft in length and 1,500 lbs in weight.
Description: Dense creamy white coat made of hollow translucent hairs; black skin; powerful build; long neck and head.
Cool Facts: It is the world's largest land predator. It has been known to swim more than 60 miles without rest. Studies show that they are as intelligent as apes.
Conservation Status: Lower Risk (Conservation Dependent)
Major Threat(s): Habitat Loss
What Can I Do?: Visit Polar Bears Alive for information on how you can help.